I'm a designer and researcher drawn to projects that involve people, places, and systems. I’ve collaborated with civic organizations, local businesses, and startups, typically helping partners with some combination of:
Research & storytelling
Brand identity & creative direction
Digital & website design
Print & packaging design
Environmental & exhibition design
Service & system design
And probably more
peteyroutzahn@gmail.com
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Petey Routzahn, 2026
Index Rental Access
Research & storytelling
Print & packaging design
System & service design
Completed in 2023 with the Public Policy Lab for the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development (DYCD) and funded by The New York Fund to End Youth & Family Homelessness.
Team
Jess Francois
Meera Rothman
Sophia Geanacopoulos
Ying Tang
Rental Access
I led a team to interview unhoused young adults, landlords, and subject-matter experts on homelessness. We used the findings to design a city program that makes renting more accessible for unhoused youth in New York.
Background
Many youth and young adults in New York City lack access to stable housing. When attempting to secure housing, unhoused and unstably housed youth and young adults often lack the same support as their peers: advice from relatives with experience navigating the rental market, a co-signer to guarantee the lease, and money to weather occasional setbacks.
Rental Access is a report based on the findings of over 50 semi-structured interviews with young adults, landlords, and staff at youth homeless shelters about the challenges young adults face when navigating the private rental market. The report contains a program blueprint modeled after existing rental access programs that have successfully connected unhoused adults with long-term housing and is refined based on the specific needs of youth 18–24 who are unhoused or unstably housed.
This project is part of a federal initiative to decrease youth homelessness. It was created in partnership with youth-centered New York City agencies to develop new support for unstably housed youth and young adults seeking to rent an apartment successfully.
My Role
I was the Project Lead and Design Lead for Rental Access. I managed day-to-day operations, client relationships, and an internal team to conduct human-centered design research and develop the program concept and final printed publication.
Specifically, I:
Drafted a project plan, research plan, and other strategic documents, and was in charge of completing the 4-month project on time and on budget
Managed research operations for over 40 interviews with young adults in homeless shelters, landlords, and subject matter experts, and led the synthesis process to derive the program concept
Co-designed the program components—including an institutional co-signer, a stability fund, a lease liaison team, a vetted landlord list, and an information and referral line—which work together to provide financial, logistical, and emotional support as youth submit rental applications in a very competitive NYC housing market
Hosted workshops with city agency staff and unhoused young adults to ensure the program responded to the main challenges young adults face when transitioning out of shelters and into rental housing
Served as the content manager, designed the publication, and managed the printing process
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I led the creation of a qualitative database for civic research featuring over 200 hours of interviews with older adults about their experience with aging and accessing healthcare.
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